France Exempts Andorran Students from Non-EU Tuition Hike Starting 2026

France has officially confirmed that Andorran students will be exempt from the upcoming increase in university tuition fees for non-EU students, set to take effect from the 2026-2027 academic year.

The French embassy in Andorra and the Andorran government issued a joint statement on Thursday announcing the decision. It follows initial assurances given two weeks earlier by French ambassador to Andorra, Nicolas Eybalin, and addresses uncertainties raised by a French decree published on 19 May. That decree differentiates fees between French, EU and equivalent students on one hand, and those from outside the EU on the other.

The exemption rests on a 2000 trilateral convention signed in Brussels between Andorra, France and Spain, covering entry, movement, residence and establishment of nationals from the three countries. Eybalin had previously argued that the treaty places Andorran students on par with French and Spanish ones, noting that an international treaty takes precedence over an administrative decree. French authorities have now endorsed this view.

Andorran ambassador to France, Esther Rabasa, received formal guarantees during a meeting with officials from the French Ministry of Higher Education. The ministry has also listed Andorran nationals explicitly among the exceptions on its website, confirming they will continue under the standard fee regime applied to French students.

For the 2025-2026 academic year, these fees stood at 178 euros annually for a bachelor's degree, 254 euros for a master's, and 397 euros for a doctorate. Engineering programmes under the relevant ministry charged 628 euros, except at Écoles Centrales and École des Mines Nancy, where fees reached 2,613 euros.

In contrast, non-exempt non-EU students face fees of 2,895 euros for a bachelor's and 3,941 euros for a master's from 2026-2027 onwards.

The joint statement underscores France's long-standing commitment to hosting Andorran students, ensuring access to high-quality higher education under the same conditions as French nationals.